


no more bad days

by thisapathy



Series: come sink into me and let me breathe you in [9]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-07-12 10:34:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7099345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisapathy/pseuds/thisapathy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>And in the morning if Daryl's arm is still draped across Carl's chest then, well, Carl's not complaining.</p>
            </blockquote>





	no more bad days

**Author's Note:**

> set after 6x16, contains spoilers for comics and potentially the show

The ride back to Alexandria is silent. Glenn's body is kept on the back of the RV. Abraham is driving; Rick in the passenger's seat. Michonne, Aaron, Maggie—they're all around. Carl is sure his remaining vision has been tarnished by the image of Glenn being beaten to death.

It happened and it's terrible and Glenn didn't deserve to die. But the warm pressure of Daryl's shoulder against his own keeps Carl grounded. Rick's not there much anymore. He's there, but not _there_. When Negan gave them the okay to get up Carl didn't go to Rick; he went to Daryl.

'You're alright,' Daryl had murmured to him, an arm around his shoulder. Everyone else was probably too distraught to notice. But now they're silent, shifting against each other with each turn and bump in the road.

They reach the gates of Alexandria and it's eerily quiet. Abraham parks near the front and they pile out. Carl's first instinct, his first want, is to follow Sasha and Daryl into the infirmary. But then he remembers Judith and goes to check on her.

Gabriel's asleep but Carl lets himself in to the neighboring house. Judith is sound asleep in the crib so he leaves her there for the night. He really just wants a shower and then he really wants to go to sleep. Waking Judith would prolong his night by another hour at the least.

When Carl walks into his own house Michonne and Rick are in the living room. Carl catches them in the midst of a quiet discussion. A squeaky floorboard directs their attention to him.

"How's Judy?" Michonne asks.

"Asleep. I left her there; she's fine."

"Thanks," Rick says. Carl doesn't know why Rick says this; he checked on Judith for his own peace of mind. When Rick crosses the kitchen to squeeze his shoulder, Carl pulls from his grip.

"I'm going to bed." And by that he means he's going to take a shower and wash his hair and go read comics until he falls asleep.

+

Carl leaves the bathroom in his only pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. He's been running on adrenaline so long that now that he's coming down for it he feels exhausted and achy. And also hungry. He goes downstairs to grab an apple just in time for Daryl to walk in the door, shirtless and carrying his vest in his arm. He tosses it on the table and Carl imagines Carol is going to gripe about that in the morning.

"All fixed up?"

Daryl nods. "Ain't too bad," he shrugs. "Hurts like a son of a bitch."

Carl hums and takes a bite of his apple. "I'm going to bed. Night."

Daryl shrugs and scrubs a hand over his face. "Night," he says after a short moment of silence.

+

Carl's in the middle of his second Iron Man comic when someone taps twice on his door. As it squeaks open, he thinks it's probably Rick or Michonne. But no, it's Daryl with his hair is hanging in his face. When he comes in and closes the door, Carl looks up at with wide eyes.

"Ain't in the mood to be alone," Daryl explains.

Carl scoots over wordlessly, grabbing his apple core from where it rests on the bed and tossing it into the trash can. Daryl stretches out on the empty side of the bed and kicks his boots to the floor. Carl is shocked, honestly, because Daryl has only ever been this close to one person, and that's Carol. At first Carl thought maybe he and Carol were a couple, or at least headed in that direction. But no, Carol found Tobin and that was the end of that. Carl's never pegged Daryl to be the relationship type, anyways. He know Daryl is a softy when it comes to Judith, he just never expected to see such a vulnerable side of him.

Carl finishes his comic and tosses it to the floor, reaching over to turn off the lamp.

"Don't stop readin' on account of me."

"I'm tired," Carl lies. He settles down and grabs his comforter off the floor, dragging it over his body. Daryl is on his side facing Carl so Carl doesn't know whether to lie on his side and face Daryl or lie on his back or lie with his back to him. He figures he'll sleep with his back to Daryl. That way, they'll both have more room is they sleep on their sides. So Carl rolls over to face the window and adjusts his blanket accordingly.

The agonizing screams of their group echo in Carl's mind. Despite trying, he can't sleep. The image of Glenn's lifeless body haunts him. He doesn't know how to escape it this time. He thinks about Maggie and her baby and how Glenn will never meet his child and he aches for all of them the way he ached for Lori. He understands now that Lori did what she had to do; she chose Judith's life over her own. Carl still misses her. Sometimes he presses his nose into the top Judith's hair, because that's what Lori always used to do to him. For whatever reason it eases the pain, just a little.

Sometimes Carl forgets just how much he misses her. And Sophia and Hershel and Tyreese. And Rick.

The room has been silent for at least thirty minutes. Carl assumes Daryl's asleep, so he jumps a little when Daryl whispers "hey." Carl grunts to let him know he's awake.

The mattress sinks under him. Suddenly there's a solid, warm body pressed against his back and Daryl's arm drapes over his hip like a perfect fit. He scoots close, tucks his face on the nook of Carl's neck. Daryl smells like sweat and outside and dried blood and it's as comforting as it is disgusting. It's not until Carl feels something wet against his skin that he realizes Daryl is crying. Not sobbing, not weeping, just crying silent tears for whatever reason. Carl isn't good at the comfort thing, not really. But he does his best and brings Daryl's arm around his chest and hugs it tight until he falls asleep.

And in the morning if Daryl's arm is still draped across Carl's chest then, well, Carl's not complaining. 


End file.
